Red Wings Edge Winless Flyers Behind Tarasov
Detroit was the better team for most of the night at home and got a 2-1 win to show for it, though a hot goalie at the other end kept it closer than it should have been.
The Red Wings had the better looks all evening. Their chances were worth about 3.53 expected goals (how many goals those chances would usually produce) against 2.34 for Philadelphia, yet they scored just twice. They also outshot the Flyers 26-18.
Joseph Woll is the reason. He stopped 24 of 26 and turned aside 10 of 11 shots from the most dangerous areas, saving about 1.53 more goals than an average goalie would facing that pile of chances. At the other end, Daniil Tarasov was just as sharp: 17 of 18, including 8 of 9 from close range.
The iron had a say too. Dylan Larkin and Tyson Foerster each rang a post on good looks, one for each side.
For Philadelphia, now 0-5-3, it's another night where the effort got outshot and the goaltending couldn't carry it alone. Detroit gets a needed home result after a rocky start.